Education

Democracy is more than just a matter of laws and institutions; it depends on a culture of democracy rooted in democratic values. The last decade has shown a worrying trend of democratic backsliding. Freedom of expression and information continues to worsen in several countries and the civic space to shrink. Mistrust towards public institutions is increasing and attempts to distort the notions of culture and cultural heritage, used as instruments of polarisation or stigmatisation, make democracies less resilient to pressures undermining democratic values.
The effective protection of human rights requires citizens, well informed, who understand the importance of human rights for them personally and are ready to defend them and to participate in society. There is a need to improve both the way institutions involve citizens in decision making and the ways they exercise public authority at all levels, to ensure freedom of expression and information and to increase the capacities of all members of society, including young persons and civil society to actively participate in democratic societies while promoting a mutual understanding and reciprocal appreciation of cultural diversity and heritage. The aim of this Programme is to anchor democratic values in European society. It comprises notably the education sub-programme.